Gavin Newsom, California’s Democratic governor, appeared briefly to place his long-running feud with Donald Trump to at least one facet on Friday, when he invited the president-elect to Los Angeles to survey devastation from the wildfires and meet with first responders, firefighters and the “Americans” affected.
“In the spirit of this great country, we must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines,” Newsom wrote in a letter to Trump on Friday. “Hundreds of thousands of Americans – displaced from their homes and fearful for the future – deserve to see all of us working in their best interests to ensure a fast recovery and rebuild.”
The détente lasted lower than 24 hours. By Saturday, Newsom, who’s in rivalry to grow to be the Democratic occasion chief in time for 2028, had returned to a extra acquainted, oppositional stance.
In an interview with Pod Save America, he rejected Trump’s declare that water is being withheld from southern California to avoid wasting an endangered fish, the delta smelt, calling the president-elect’s messaging on the difficulty “delusional” and a part of a “consistent mantra from Trump going back years and years, and it’s reinforced over and over within the right wing … and it’s profoundly ignorant ”.
Newsom stated Californians’ fears that Trump may attempt to withhold federal aid funds was affordable, however the governor’s outreach a day earlier; Newsom stated Saturday night Trump had but to return his name about wildfire response.
“He’s done it in the past, not just here in California,” Newsom instructed the podcasters, pointing to Tump’s prior actions in Puerto Rico, Utah, Connecticut and Georgia. “The rhetoric is very familiar, it’s increasingly acute, and obviously we all have reason to be concerned about it.”
The politicization of the Los Angeles fires could possibly be exhibiting indicators of intensifying. To opposing political factions, the damage of elements of Los Angeles gives an inviting however lethal tableau on which to put out their opposite agendas.
To Democrats, the depth with which the fires took maintain, propelled by the late-season Santa Ana winds, is proof of local weather change that some Republicans deny as a political hoax. To some Republicans, together with Trump, the fires are proof of mismanagement below Democrats’ racial- and gender-equity drives.
Even earlier than the extent of the devastation grew to become clear final week, Trump had assailed Newsom as “Newscum”, and known as on the governor to resign.
Addressing the governor in a put up on his Reality Social web site, Trump stated: “One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground. It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!”
Trump blamed Newsom for refusing to signal a water-restoration declaration “that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way”.
On the Republican sidelines, Warren Davidson, an Ohio consultant, known as on Friday for federal catastrophe aid to be withheld from California except the state reforms its forestry administration practices.
The feud between the 2 political leaders over environmental points has been percolating since a minimum of 2018, after wildfires devastated Malibu and Paradise, when Trump accused Newsom and Democratic state leaders of “gross mismanagement” of forests by failing to make firebreaks or clear flammable undergrowth.
On the time, Newsom defended California’s wildfire-prevention efforts whereas criticizing the federal authorities for not doing sufficient to assist shield the state. “You don’t believe in climate change. You are excused from this conversation,” Newsom instructed Trump in a put up on X.
That dispute was revived earlier final yr when Trump appeared to confuse the previous San Francisco mayor Willie Brown with the previous governor Jerry Brown, saying he’d practically crashed in a helicopter whereas assessing wildfire injury with (governor) Brown.
From left, Gavin Newsom, Donald Trump and Jerry Brown in Paradise, California, on 17 November 2018. {Photograph}: Evan Vucci/AP
A spokesperson for Newsom, who had been on the flight, stated there had been no points, no emergency touchdown and no disparaging dialog about Kamala Harris, as Trump had claimed.
Karoline Leavitt, the Trump marketing campaign spokesperson, later responded that “the president has a lot of amazing stories from his life”.
The ties, and potential fissures, run deeper than politics. Newsom was married to Kimberly Guilfoyle from 2001 to 2006. Guilfoyle subsequently dated Trump’s eldest son, Don Jr, and was just lately appointed US ambassador to Greece after main a fundraising division of Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential marketing campaign.
The chafing between the 2 appears set to proceed, though, based on Politico, an unnamed Trump official downplayed the concept he would withhold support to the state.
Joe Biden has already permitted a catastrophe declaration for the southern California fires, committing the federal authorities to protecting all the fireplace administration and particles elimination prices for six months.
“We are with you,” Biden pledged. “We are not going anywhere.”
Newsom thanked Biden – his fellow Democrat – for having “approved our major disaster declaration”. In response to Politico, in his letter to Trump, Newsom wrote Biden’s motion had been “a strong indication of the partnership California needs and appreciates with any federal administration”.
“However,” Newsom added, “the threat to lives and property remains acute.”
Late Friday, Trump introduced on Reality Social that he had appointed Ed Russo – who describes himself as a “dirt-kisser tree hugger” and has described Trump as an “environmental hero” – to an environmental advisory group.
Trump wrote within the put up: “Together, we will achieve American Energy DOMINANCE, rebuild our Economy, and DRILL, BABY, DRILL.”
That comes as Newsom has moved in lock step with the California state legislature and the outgoing Biden administration to thwart Trump’s “America first” vitality agenda earlier than Trump’s inauguration in 10 days.
Newsom has stated California’s legislative efforts are precautionary in nature and he would method the return president with an “open hand, not a closed fist”.
However Trump made future catastrophe funds to California a difficulty throughout his 2024 marketing campaign when, in September, he demanded Newsom reform water coverage to divert extra water to California’s farmers if he wished the stream of federal funds to proceed.
“If he doesn’t sign those papers, we won’t give him money to put out all his fires,” Trump stated.
